Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

This is just a transitional chapter; the real excitement begins here.

The noise from the fish-catching activity startled two middle-aged women who were washing clothes in the river bend upstream. Curious, they came over and immediately spotted the large fish still thrashing about at Liu Xiangyang's feet.

"Wow! Not bad, Liu Zhiqing!" an auntie exclaimed in a loud voice. "This rabbitfish is really plump! If you stew it in soup, the broth will turn milky white, with a rich and delicious flavor!"

"Haha, thank you, Aunt Wang. I'm just lucky. I'll stew it today and see how it tastes."

Leqi squatted down next to the fish and asked curiously, "Auntie, why is this fish called a rabbit fish?"

"It runs fast, it darts around in the water like a rabbit!" Aunt Wang explained with a smile. "This fish is delicious and easy to cook. When you get home, put some soybean oil in an iron pot, fry the fish on both sides until it's golden brown, then add water, a handful of salt, a few slices of ginger, and a few dried chilies. You don't need to add anything else! When the soup is bubbling, sprinkle some chopped green onions on top before taking it out of the pot. The fish is so tender that it breaks easily with chopsticks, and the fish soup is so fresh and rich that it makes you feel good all over."

Liu Xiangyang's interest was piqued by her description: "Aunt Wang, if you keep going, my mouth is watering! Looks like I'll have to tie a few more today!"

An older woman nearby, watching with envy, laughed and said, "Liu Zhiqing, your stick is really useful. Can we borrow it and try our luck?"

"Aunt Zhang, you're too kind. You've helped us a lot. What's a stick compared to this?" Liu Xiangyang readily handed each of the two women a short spear.

The riverbank suddenly became even more lively. The two middle-aged women were experienced; they watched for any movement in the water and seized the opportunity to strike. Before long, each of them had caught a sizable rabbitfish, and they were all smiles.

Not to be outdone, Zuo Qingqing concentrated and finally caught one too, jumping for joy.

As for Xue Bingbing, Le Qi, and Le Yao, they were so busy cheering for Liu Xiangyang that they didn't even use the short spears they had in their hands.

Liu Xiangyang had good eyesight and great strength. He then hooked three more large rabbitfish, each weighing about ten pounds. He also hooked two long and narrow pike, each weighing about seven or eight pounds.

Looking at this huge pile of spoils, Liu Xiangyang knew that meat was a scarce commodity these days. Bringing back too much would be too conspicuous and would make people envious, who would say that he was a capitalist tail.

He knew when to stop, clapping his hands and saying, "Alright, alright, that's enough to eat!"

He picked up two rabbitfish and said to Xue Bingbing and the others, "We'll eat these tonight."

Xue Bingbing and the others pestered the two aunts again to ask them carefully about how to cook both kinds of fish before they were allowed to go back.

Back at the entrance of the courtyard, the main structure of the office across the street was already built, and they were just waiting for the roof beam to be erected tomorrow.

Seeing the fish in Liu Xiangyang's hands, several villagers joked, "Inspector Liu, you're too kind to us! Knowing tomorrow is the day of the roof-raising ceremony, you specially went to catch some fish to add to our meal. Thank you so much!"

Liu Xiangyang offered cigarettes to the group and said, "Brother Zhang, you're absolutely right. I was just thinking that you've all worked hard these past few days, so I'm adding some extra dishes for you. Just wait and see tomorrow, everything will be taken good care of you, and there will be plenty of food and drink."

At this moment, a villager surnamed Wang said, "Inspector Liu is really generous and magnanimous. I could tell from the last time we had the banquet. Look, even the cigarettes he handed out were lotus-shaped."

Liu Xiangyang chatted with them for a few more minutes before following them into the courtyard.

Liu Xiangyang saw Zuo Qingqing and said, "Keep that fish. You're having a housewarming party tomorrow, and the fish will be a dish too."

"I'm treating you to dinner today. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have even thought of going to get some fish stew."

"At least you still have some conscience," Zuo Qingqing said with a smug look. "But don't think that will make me forget your promise to take me into the mountains."

"Okay, I, Liu Xiangyang, always keep my word."

While Xue Bingbing and the others were quickly washing the pot and boiling water, Le Yao squatted by the wooden basin, looking at the rabbitfish that was still wagging its tail inside, feeling both excited and a little afraid to touch it.

"Watch me." Liu Xiangyang smiled, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a kitchen knife, and deftly scraped off the scales, removed the gills, cleaned the internal organs, rinsed the fish with a spoonful of water, and the whole fish was ready. Then he quickly chopped it into pieces.

"This rabbitfish is tender and has a mild fishy smell, so let's make soup as Aunt Wang suggested." Liu Xiangyang put the fish pieces into the bowl while giving instructions. "Qiqi, put our iron pot back on. Leqi, slice some ginger. Leyao, go to the cellar and get some scallions."

The small kitchen immediately became lively again. The pot was heated, and Xue Bingbing scooped a spoonful of lard into the bottom of the pot. After the oil melted, she carefully slid the fish pieces in one by one.

With a sizzling sound, the hot oil collided with the moist fish skin, creating a pleasant sound. The fish pieces were slowly fried in the pan until golden brown on both sides, and the aroma immediately spread.

"Add water, you must add water!" Liu Xiangyang reminded her, and Le Qi quickly handed over the kettle that had been prepared. The boiling water splashed into the pot, instantly creating a thick white color, and the soup visibly turned milky white.

Xue Bingbing threw ginger slices, two dried chilies, and a handful of salt into the boiling soup. "Okay, that's it. Put the lid on and let it simmer."

The lid was put on, and soon the unique sweet aroma of fish filled the air, even richer and more appetizing than when the fish was fried earlier. The pot was bubbling away.

Le Yao acted like a supervisor, running over every now and then to lift the lid of the pot and smell it, only to be pulled back by Liu Xiangyang with a laugh several times.

After simmering for about twenty minutes, Xue Bingbing finally lifted the lid. A richer, purer aroma wafted out! The broth in the pot had turned a milky white, and the fish pieces trembled slightly in the soup, with specks of golden oil floating on the surface.

"Yaoyao, give me the scallions," Xue Bingbing called out.

Le Yao quickly sprinkled in the finely chopped bright green scallions, which brought out the aroma of the scallions and blended perfectly with the umami flavor of the fish soup.

"Dinner's ready!"

The five people immediately sat around the small kang table. Leqi served everyone soup; the milky white broth looked so comforting.

Le Yao couldn't wait to pick up a piece of fish belly meat. The fish meat was snow-white and so tender that it seemed like it would break at the slightest touch. She carefully blew on it and put it in her mouth.

"Wow! So tender! So fresh!" she mumbled, then picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup.

Liu Xiangyang took a sip of the soup. The broth was rich and flavorful, and the hot fish soup made his stomach feel extremely comfortable.

"This soup is so delicious," Xue Bingbing said, taking small sips with a satisfied expression. "It's so fresh and warming, it makes me feel all warm up."

Even Leqi, who is usually quiet when eating, couldn't help but drink two small bowls of soup, and didn't even have time to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

The five people ate the tender fish, drank the hot fish soup, and chatted, telling Zuo Qingqing what to pay attention to when offering the first wine of the year.

Liu Xiangyang also said that as long as you provide the money, that's fine; let the professionals handle the professional matters.